Implement holder



May 2, 1933.

Fynio A. l. PLAT T IMPLEMENT HOLDER Filed Dec. 26, 1931 Mzw IN V EN TOR.

Patented May 2, 1933 PATENT OFFICE I ARTHUR I. PLATE, FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT IMPLEMENT HOLDER Application filed December 26, 1931. Serial No. 688,181.

as a unitary structure a backing member and a plurality of resilient implement-holding clips mounted on the backing member, and

yet have each clip heldto the backing mem-.

her by only a single screw, thereby reducing the cost of the manufacture of the article both as to material and labor and, at the same time, facilitating the mounting of the article on a wall or other support by the user,

it being merely necessary to fasten the back- 5 ing strlp or member to a wall by two screws appropriately located in the backing memb r A furtherand equally important object of the present invention is to PIOVIdGaII lmpleo ment-holding clip whereby the usual forwardly extending parallel arms may be moved closer together or farther apart by a simple manipulation. In the preferred form of this invention, this is accomplished by providing the clip with an interconnecting back portion which is normally bowed forwardly and passing a single screw through the center of the bowed portion so that it may be drawn closer to the backmg member or supporting surface, thereby bend-- ing the arms closer together so as to fit and conveniently hold tools or implements with small handles or heads, whichever happens to be the larger.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing which shows one form of this inventionthat at present preferredFigure 1 is a top plan View of the article of this invention; Fig. 2 is a front view; and Fig. 3 is a side view.

Fig. 4 is a view like Fig. 3, showing a modification of this invention.

As shown in the accompany drawing, the implement holder of the present invention comprises a backing member 10, preferably in the form of an elongated bar or piece usually of wood, such as a piece of molding. Extending longitudinally of the bar is a groove and near the ends of the bar are holes 12 to receive screws by means of which the bar may be fastened to a wall or other supporting surface.

Supported on the bar is a plurality of implement-holding clips 13, preferably equispaced thereon. There may be as many clips as desired and they may have any spacing wanted, the backing member 10 being made of appropriate length to accommodate them.

For the most part, the clips 13 are very similar to those which have been used for many years to hold hand stamps and other implements of various kinds. Each comprises a pair of parallel arms 14, the forward ends 15 of which diverge outwardly to facilitate the introduction between them of the handle or shaft-like part of the tool or implement. Behind the outwardly flaring ends 15, the clips are provided with bent portions 16 forming sockets for embracing and holding the handle or shaft of the tool or implement. From the socket portion 16 to the back ends of the arms 14, the clips have portions 17 flaring outwardly.

The ends of the clip arm are usually connected together by a fiat interconnecting portion and this is usually secured to the supporting member by a pair of screws, rivets, etc.

According to the present invention, however, so that the arms 14 of the clips may be moved closer to each other or farther apart to more conyeniently engage and hold tools or implements of different sizes, the back end portions 17 of the arms 14 are interconnected by a back portion 18 which is bowed forwardly and the bowed portion is provided with a hole 18 midway between its ends for receiving a single screw 20 by means of which the clip is fastened to the backing bar 10 or other supporting structure.

As initially formed, the bowed portion 18 is quite convex as shown in the clip B of Fig. 1. In this condition, the arms 14 are spread far apart so as to allow a tool or implement with a large handle or clip-engagingportion to conveniently enter between the arms 14. Should it be desired to support a tool or implement with a smaller handle, the screw 20 may be driven farther into the backing bar 10 or supporting structure in which case the head of the screw flattens the bowed portion 18, thus bendin the arms 14 so that they W111 lie closer together as shown in the clip C ,of Fig. 1. Should it be desired to support a tool or implement with a still smaller handle or shaft, the screw 20 is driven still farther into the backing member 10 or supporting structure to further flatten the bowed portion 18 and thereby bring the arms 14 closer together, as shown in the clip A of Fig. 1.

The material of which the clips are formed is resilient and hence, if it is desired to have the clip A so that the arms 14 are spread apart as much as the clips B or C, for instance, it is merely necessary to insert a screw-driver into .the'kerf of the screw 20 and retract it somewhat from the bar 10, thereby allowing the convexity of the portion 18 to increase and the arms 14 to spread apart.

It will be noted that as the screw 20 is driven into the backing member, the ends 17 of the arms 14 spread outwardly, and it is therefore preferable that the junctions 21 between the bowed portion 18 and the rear portions 17 of the arms 14 be rounded so as not to dig into the backing member 10 or other supporting surface as it slides thereon.

While it would be practicable to have the interconnecting portion 18 bowed and operating as above described and yet have the clip mounted on the supporting member by means of two screws, each riding in long slot-s, it is preferable that a single screw located midway between the ends of the bowed portion be employed, for this screw can be reached easily by a screw-driver through the space between the spring arms 14 of the clip in initially mounting it or when ad usting the arms 14.

When, as herein preferred, the clip is supported by a single screw, it would tend to turn about the axis of the screw should an unbalanced weight be placed on the clip.

To avoid this. the backing member 10 may and preferably has one or more longitudinally extending ribs or ledges 22 between which are located the round junctions 21 of the clip. When two ledges 22 are employed,

they may be formed by providing the bar 10 with a longitudinally extending groove 23. While it is preferable that the clips be made as shown so that the distances between the arms 14 may be varied, if this feature is not wanted, it would nevertheless be advantageous to have the clips located against the ledge or in a groove on the backing member 10 and to mount each clip on the backing member with a single screw, not only because of the economy which it would effect in the screws required, but also in the time which would be required to apply the screws.

Again, even if a single clip is to be used, it is preferable to use the backing member 10 or its equivalent on which the clip is mounted by the single screw, although it is within the purview of this invention to use the clip without any special backing memberthe clip being held against turning by nails or other means appropriately placed or by means of a separate strip of molding or the like, engaging the junctions 21 of the arms 14 with the bowed back portion 18.

However, when it is desired to hold the single clip directly to the supporting surface by the single screw 20 without having to screw the backing member thereto, the form of the device shown in Fig. 4 may be employed. In this form, the backing member 10a is preferably made of metal having flanges 22a between which the rear end of the clip 13 may be located. The ends of the backing member 10a preferably have prongs or teeth 24 to bite into the surface against which the clip is supported and thereby be prevented from turning. The prongs or teeth 24 may be made so long that they would have to be driven into the surface by a hammer, but this is not necessary, and it is sufficient if they be-made short enough to penetrate the supporting surface when the screw 20 is being driven home.

Other variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to obtain Letters Patent is 1. In combination with a support, of an implement-holding clip; and means for securing the clip to the support, said clip comprising a pair of horizontally extending arms having implement-supporting portions normally initially spaced from each other and including a flexible back portion interconnecting said arms, the back portion and the support being so shaped as to permit flexing of the back portion toward and from the support, and said securing means engaging the back portion and variably moving the same to adjustably control the spacing of the implement-supporting portions of the arms relative to each other.

2. The combination as specified in claim 1, in which the securing means comprises a headed screw passing through an aperture in the back portion and enters the support a comprises a headed screw passing through an aperture in the back portion and enters the support a variable amount tomove the back portion adjustably toward the support by means of the head of the screw engaging the back portion.

5. The combination as specified in claim 1,

in which the implement-holding clip is made of resilient material and tends to return toward initial position where the implementsupporting arms are substantially spaced from each other when the securing means is moved outwardly from the back portion and the support.

6. The combination as specified in claim 1, in which the securing means comprises a headed screw passing through an aperture in the back portion and enters the support a variable amount to move the back portion adjustably toward the support by means of the head of the screw engaging the back portion, and also in which the back portion is made of resilient material and tends to return toward initial position where the implement-supporting arms aresubstantially spaced from each other when the screw is turned to move its head in a direction away from the support.

7. In combination with a support, of an implement-holding clip; means for securing the clip to the support, said clip comprising a pair of horizontally extending arms having implement-supportmg portions normally initia'ly spaced from each other and including a flexible back portion interconnecting said arms, the back portion and the support being so shaped as to permit flexing of the back portion toward and from the sup ort, and said securing means engaging the ack portion and variably moving the same to ad]ustably control the spacing of the implementsupporting portions of the arms relative to each other; and means interposed between the back portion and the support for holding the clip against turning relative to the support.

8. In combination with a support, of an implement-holding clip; means for securing the clip to the support, said clip comprising a pair of horizontally extending arms having implement-supporting portions normally ini tially spaced from each other and including a flexible back portion interconnecting said arms, the back portion and the support being so shaped as to permit flexing of the back portion toward and from the support, and said securing means engaging the back portion and variably moving the same to adjustably control the spacing of the implementsupporting portions of the arms relative to each other; a plate interposed between the back portion and the support; prongs on the plate for penetrating the surface of the support to keep the plate from turning; and flanges on the plate engaging edges of the 

